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In the Heart of the Sea(film)

In the Heart of the Seais a 2015historicaladventuredrama filmdirected and co-produced byRon Howardfrom a screenplay byCharles Leavittand a story by Leavitt,Rick Jaffa,andAmanda Silver.An international co-production between the United States and Spain, the film starsChris Hemsworth,Benjamin Walker,Cillian Murphy,Tom Holland,Ben Whishaw,andBrendan Gleeson.It is based onNathaniel Philbrick's 2000 non-fiction bookIn the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex,about the sinking of the American whaling shipEssexin 1820, an event that in part inspiredHerman Melville's 1851 novelMoby-Dick.

In the Heart of the Sea
Underwater, the giant eye of a great white whale. In the foreground floats a man holding a harpoon.
Theatrical release poster
Directed byRon Howard
Screenplay byCharles Leavitt
Story by
Based onIn the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex
byNathaniel Philbrick
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyAnthony Dod Mantle
Edited by
Music byRoque Baños
Production
companies
Distributed byWarner Bros. Pictures
Release dates
  • December 7, 2015(2015-12-07)(New York City)
  • December 11, 2015(2015-12-11)(United States)
Running time
122 minutes[1]
Countries
  • United States
  • Spain[2]
LanguagesEnglish
Spanish
Budget$100 million[3]
Box office$94.3 million[3]

The film premiered inNew York Cityon December 7, 2015, and was released in cinemas in the United States on December 11, 2015, byWarner Bros. Pictures.In the Heart of the Seareceived mixed reviews from critics and was abox office bomb,grossing only $94.3 million against a $100 million budget.[3][4]

Plot

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In 1850, authorHerman Melvillevisits innkeeperThomas Nickerson,the last survivor of the sinking of the whaleshipEssex,offering money for his story. Nickerson initially refuses, then agrees when his wife intervenes.

In 1820 aNantucketwhalingcompany has refitted theEssexfor awhale huntto bring back lucrativewhale oil;14-year-old Nickerson joins as acabin boy.Veteran whalerOwen Chaseis hired as first mate, though he is disappointed not to receive a captain's commission. CaptainGeorge Pollardis an inexperienced mariner who envies Chase's skill and popularity. They clash, and Pollard sails into a storm against Chase's advice. They agree to put their differences aside and soon the crew kills their first bullsperm whale.

Three months pass without success, and Pollard realizes that theAtlantic Oceanholds no sighting of whales. TheEssexroundsCape Hornto thePacific,hoping for better luck. InAtacames,Ecuador,a Spanish captain tells them of the bountiful "Offshore Grounds" 2,000 miles to the west, but says a vengeful "white whale" destroyed his ship, killing six of his men. Pollard and Chase lead the expedition west. They find the grounds, but when they launch the whaling boats,a massive bull sperm whale with white, scarred skindamages the boats and turns on the ship.

Chaseharpoonsit from theEssexdeck, but the whale rams the hull, killing two men. The crew abandons the sinkingEssexin three whaling boats, and must sail hundreds of miles to shore with limited supplies. The whale attacks again and they escape to the tinyHenderson Island.Chase discovers long dead corpses of earliercastaways,and the crew fears they might also die waiting for rescue. Four men stay while the rest set sail hoping to find better lands.

Back in the 1820s, the three boats are separated and one is lost. In one of the three boats that left Henderson Island, one of the sailors dies, and the others reluctantly decide tocannibalisehim. Nickerson stops his retelling of his story, overcome with remorse for his cannibalism and thinking his wife could not love him after hearing of it; however, she comforts him and he continues his story.

The men in the second remaining boat also resort to cannibalism, with Pollard's cousin Henry Coffin sacrificing himself. The white whale returns, and Chase takes position to attack. When the whale breaches, Chase sees his previously thrown harpoon still embedded above the whale's eye. Chase stares into the whale's eye as the whale stares back. Chase lowers his harpoon and the whale swims away, never to be seen again.

The two boats become separated. Pollard's boat is rescued by a passing ship, but Chase's continues to drift. With the survivors on the verge of death, they reachChile'sAlejandro Selkirk Island.They are fed, clothed, and make their way back to Nantucket, where they reunite with their families. The ships' owners ask Pollard and Chase to cover up the story of a whale destroying the ship, to protect the industry's reputation. Chase, having had enough of their dishonesty, refuses and resigns. Although initially loyal to the owners, Pollard later reveals the truth in the inquiry, much to the owners' anger.

Nickerson relates that a ship was sent to Henderson Island to rescue the men there; three were still alive. Chase continued sailing and became a merchant captain. Pollard led another expedition to find and kill the white whale, but never found it. His ship ran aground off theHawaiianIslands and he was forced to retire. Melville promises Nickerson that his novel will be fiction, without all the details that had been shared with him. Melville departs to compose his novel,Moby-Dick,beginning by writing its first line: "Call me Ishmael".

Cast

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Production

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Casting

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The film was in development back in 2000, withBarry Levinsonset to direct forMiramax Films.[7]

Chris Hemsworthwas cast to play the lead,Owen Chase,in June 2012.[8]Tom Hollandwon the role of young Nickerson in April 2013.[9]Cillian Murphysigned on as Matthew Joy in June. BeforeBenjamin Walkerwas set to play the Captain, other actors that were considered includedBenedict Cumberbatch,Tom Hiddleston,andHenry Cavill.[10]

Nearly 200 woodenbarrelswere fashioned for the film bymaster cooperAlastair Simms, who also appeared in the film making the casks on the ship, as was common in the day.[11]

Filming

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Principal photographybegan in September 2013 inLondonand atWarner Bros. Studios, LeavesdeninHertfordshire,England.[12][13]It was also shot on location on the island ofLa Gomera(plus some scenes onLanzarote) in theCanary Islands,Spain.[14]For the storm scenes, the production team built a water tank at Leavesden Studios, where a deck was built on top of a gimbal to mimic the pitch of a storm. To get the right effect, 500 gallons of icy water were poured from cannons.[15]

During one point of filming, the cast and crew were forced to retreat to their hotel by a storm off the Canary Islands, which turned into a rare flash flood. The production shut down for a day and a half, expanding the shoot to 73 days, exactly as filmmakers expected.[16]

In an interview onJimmy Kimmel Live!Hemsworth stated that to prepare for the role of starving sailors, the cast were on a diet of 500–600 calories a day to lose weight.[17]Hemsworth dropped his weight from 215 to 175 pounds (97.5 to 79.3 kg) to play Owen, saying thatIn the Heart of the Seais "physically and emotionally the hardest movie that I've been a part of... Losing the weight to this length, I just never want to do it again, but it had such an emotional effect on us... in some small way, we felt like we were doing what these men went through justice."[15]

Music

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Further information:In the Heart of the Sea (soundtrack)

Roque Bañoscomposed thefilm score.[18]He was recommended byHans Zimmer,[19]who was initially approached.

In the Heart of the Sea (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
No.TitleLength
1."Arriving Nickerson's Lair"2:51
2."Chase Walking Nantucket"2:05
3."Farewell"2:47
4."Young Nickerson"2:16
5."Essex Leaving Harbor"3:06
6."The Knockdown"6:15
7."Blows"7:07
8."A Thousand Leagues Out"3:23
9."Lower Away"3:54
10."The Attack"5:47
11."Abandon Ship"6:09
12."Separations"4:29
13."Stand Off"3:10
14."Homecoming"7:32
15."The Story Is Told"6:41
16."The White Whale Chant"4:38
17."Meeting Old Nickerson" (Bonus Track)2:26
18."The Second Attack" (Bonus Track)4:19
19."Lost at Sea" (Bonus Track)2:50
20."Desert Island" (Bonus Track)3:44
21."Finding the Dead" (Bonus Track)2:04
22."End Credits" ((Alternate Version) [Bonus Track])1:17
Total length:88:50

Release

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The film was originally scheduled to be released in the United States and Canada on March 13, 2015, but was later pushed back to December 11 in order to convert the film into3Das well as to give it higher chances of being anawards seasoncontender.[20]Internationally, Warner Bros. decided to open the film early overseas—a week before its United States December 11 opening—to avoid competition withStar Wars: The Force Awakens,which began its theatrical overseas from December 16.[21]The film was released in theDolby Visionformat inDolby Cinemain North America.[22]

Home media

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In the Heart of the Seawas released on DVD, Blu-ray & Blu-ray 3D on March 8, 2016. It was released on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray on May 17, 2016.

Reception

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Box office

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In the Heart of the Seawas one of twoflopsreleased by Warner Bros in 2015, the other beingPan.[23]It grossed $25 million in North America and $68.9 million in other territories for a worldwide total of $93.9 million, against a production budget of $100 million.[3]

In the United States and Canada, the film opened on December 11, 2015, in 3,103 theaters, including a number of 3D and IMAX theaters.[24]Box Office Mojoprojected an opening weekend gross of $18 million, noting that the film's only competition was with the holdover ofThe Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2(in its fourth weekend of play).[24]The film earned $3.8 million on its opening day, including $575,000 from its early Thursday night showings.[25]In its opening weekend, it earned $11.1 million, finishing below expectations and narrowly losing toMockingjay – Part 2,which earned $11.4 million.[26]Many box office analysts said the low opening was because audiences' enthusiasm was focused on the arrival ofStar Wars: The Force Awakensthe following week.[24][27]Regarding the film's disappointing opening, Jeff Goldstein, Warner Bros. distribution executive vice president said "We stand behind Ron and his vision for the story, we believe in him. He's a terrific filmmaker. But some movies work and unfortunately some movies don't."[28]In its third weekend the film was pulled from 72.3% of theaters (3,103 to 685) the 4th biggest drop in history at the time.[29]

In the Heart of the Seawas released internationally a week prior to its United States opening in 38 markets and grossed a total of $18.5 million with 3.3 million admissions on over 9,500 screens. 50% of the plays were in 3D with 156 IMAX theaters which accounted for 7% of the total opening.[30]It went No. 1 in Russia and the CIS ($2 million) Italy ($1.7 million) and several other Asian markets such as Thailand and Taiwan and No. 2 in South Korea with $2.6 million, behind local hitInside Men,Mexico with $1.9 million, behindThe Good Dinosaurand Brazil with $1.3 million, behindThe Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2.[30]

Critical response

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OnRotten Tomatoes,the film has an approval rating of 42% based on 241 reviews and an average rating of 5.5/10. The site's critical consensus reads "The admirably old-fashionedIn the Heart of the Seaboasts thoughtful storytelling to match its visual panache, even if it can't claim the depth or epic sweep to which it so clearly aspires. "[31]OnMetacritic,the film has a score of 47 out of 100 based on 47 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[32]Audiences polled byCinemaScoregave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale.[33]

Ignatiy Vishnevetsky ofThe A.V. Clubcalls the film "ravishing and very corny".[34]

Accolades

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Year Award/Festival Category Recipient(s) Result
2015
 24thHeartland Film Festival Truly Moving Picture Award
Ron Howard,Imagine Entertainment,andWarner Bros. Pictures
 Won
2016 15th Visual Effects Society Awards[35] Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature
Jody Johnson, Leslie Lerman, Sean Stranks, Bryan Hirota, and Mark Holt
 Nominated
37th Young Artist Awards Best Performance in a Feature Film - Supporting Young Actor (14 - 21)
Tom Holland
 Nominated
18th Teen Choice Awards[36] Choice Movie: Action
In the Heart of the Sea
 Nominated
Choice Movie Actor: Action
Chris Hemsworth
 Nominated
Choice Movie Actress: Action
Charlotte Riley
 Nominated

See also

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References

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  1. ^"IN THE HEART OF THE SEA(12A) ".British Board of Film Classification.January 16, 2015.Archivedfrom the original on September 20, 2020.RetrievedJanuary 16,2015.
  2. ^Chang, Justin (December 2, 2015)."In the Heart of the Sea".Variety.Archivedfrom the original on December 13, 2019.RetrievedJuly 6,2016.
  3. ^abcd"In the Heart of the Sea".Box Office Mojo.IMDb.Archivedfrom the original on February 4, 2023.RetrievedApril 2,2024.
  4. ^"'In The Heart Of The Sea': What The Hell Happened? – Sunday Box Office Report ".Deadline.December 13, 2015.Archivedfrom the original on July 20, 2022.RetrievedJuly 20,2022.
  5. ^abcdBrowne, Julie (October 29, 2013)."Cillian Murphy's 'Peaky Blinders' Renewed for a Second Season".The Irish Film & Television Network.Archivedfrom the original on October 16, 2014.RetrievedOctober 30,2013.
  6. ^Yamato, Jen (October 15, 2013)."'In The Heart Of The Sea' Adds Charlotte Riley; Cheyenne Jackson To Sing 'The Song'".Deadline Hollywood.Archivedfrom the original on July 17, 2014.RetrievedApril 17,2020.
  7. ^Jagernauth, Kevin (June 11, 2012)."Chris Hemsworth To Topline Maritime Adventure 'In The Heart Of The Sea,' DreamWorks Circling".Indie Wire. Archived fromthe originalon October 20, 2014.RetrievedOctober 30,2013.
  8. ^Mike Fleming Jr (June 11, 2012)."Chris Hemsworth Boards Whale Of A Tale 'In The Heart Of The Sea'; Will DreamWorks Bite?".Deadline Hollywood.Archivedfrom the original on January 31, 2022.RetrievedDecember 8,2015.
  9. ^Jen Yamato (April 10, 2013)."Ron Howard Whaling Tale 'In The Heart Of The Sea' Casts Tom Holland".Deadline Hollywood.Archivedfrom the original on January 31, 2022.RetrievedDecember 8,2015.
  10. ^Kroll, Justin (May 7, 2013)."Ben Walker in Talks for 'The Heart of the Sea' with Chris Hemsworth".Variety.Archivedfrom the original on October 13, 2014.RetrievedOctober 30,2013.
  11. ^Finney, Words Clare (April 7, 2015)."The Last Master Cooper".Port Magazine.RetrievedJanuary 13,2024.
  12. ^"Ron Howard starts shooting 'Heart of the Sea' in the U.K."United Press International. October 3, 2013.Archivedfrom the original on October 16, 2014.RetrievedOctober 30,2013.
  13. ^Godfrey, Alex (October 18, 2013)."Chris Hemsworth on Rush, Thor and being a God".The Guardian.Archivedfrom the original on November 30, 2016.RetrievedDecember 11,2016.
  14. ^"Production Begins on Ron Howard's Heart of the Sea".ComingSoon.net. September 24, 2013. Archived fromthe originalon October 20, 2014.RetrievedApril 17,2020.
  15. ^abEthan Sacks (December 5, 2015)."'In the Heart of the Sea' was an ordeal to make ".New York Daily News.Archived fromthe originalon April 1, 2016.RetrievedDecember 7,2015.
  16. ^Steve Knopper (November 25, 2015)."How 'In the Heart of the Sea' Tamed the Elements".The Wall Street Journal.Archivedfrom the original on February 2, 2022.RetrievedDecember 3,2015.
  17. ^"Chris Hemsworth/Jane's Addiction; Episode #11.69".Jimmy Kimmel Live!.November 4, 2013.ABC.Archivedfrom the original on September 2, 2014.RetrievedAugust 12,2014.Jimmy: You're on some crazy diet right now I heard because of this movie you're shooting. Chris:...and we have to get rather skinny, we're on about 500 or 600 calories a day
  18. ^YouTube.youtube.Archivedfrom the original on October 27, 2022.RetrievedDecember 4,2015.
  19. ^Composer Interview: Roque Baños.2015.Archivedfrom the original on June 30, 2023.RetrievedJuly 23,2020– via YouTube.
  20. ^Lesnick, Silas (January 14, 2015)."Warner Bros. Delays Chris Hemsworth-Led In the Heart of the Sea".comingsoon.net.Archivedfrom the original on February 2, 2022.RetrievedJanuary 15,2015.
  21. ^Pamela McClintock (December 6, 2015)."Box Office: 'In the Heart of the Sea' Hits Stormy Waters With $17.1M Foreign Debut".The Hollywood Reporter.Archivedfrom the original on April 14, 2021.RetrievedDecember 7,2015.
  22. ^Carolyn Giardina (November 16, 2015)."'Star Wars' Dolby Cinema Release Could Push Forward the New Format ".The Hollywood Reporter.Archivedfrom the original on August 18, 2020.RetrievedNovember 17,2015.
  23. ^Brent Lang (February 10, 2016)."Time Warner Reports Mixed Quarterly Results Due to Movie Flops".Variety.Archivedfrom the original on February 11, 2016.RetrievedFebruary 10,2016.
  24. ^abcBrad Brevet (December 10, 2015)."'In the Heart of the Sea' Goes Hunting for #1 Before 'Star Wars' Arrives ".Box Office Mojo.Archivedfrom the original on December 15, 2015.RetrievedDecember 11,2015.
  25. ^Scott Mendelson (December 12, 2015)."Box Office: 'In The Heart Of The Sea' Drowns With $3.78M Friday, 'The Big Short' Hits Jackpot".Forbes.Archivedfrom the original on December 15, 2015.RetrievedDecember 13,2015.
  26. ^Pamela McClintock (December 13, 2015)."Box Office: Ron Howard's 'Heart of the Sea' Capsizes With $11M U.S. Debut".The Hollywood Reporter.Archivedfrom the original on December 14, 2015.RetrievedDecember 13,2015.
  27. ^Mikael Wood (December 12, 2015)."Box office: 'In the Heart of the Sea' could be sunk by 'Mockingjay' (and 'Star Wars')".Los Angeles Times.Archivedfrom the original on December 12, 2015.RetrievedDecember 12,2015.
  28. ^Brent Lang (December 13, 2015)."Box Office: 'In the Heart of the Sea' Flops With $11 Million Debut".Variety.Archivedfrom the original on December 14, 2015.RetrievedDecember 13,2015.
  29. ^"Biggest Theater Drops".Box Office Mojo.Archivedfrom the original on April 23, 2019.RetrievedApril 17,2020.
  30. ^abNancy Tartaglione (December 8, 2015)."Holdovers Top Chart; 'Heart Of The Sea', 'Point Break' See Small Swells – Intl B.O. Final".Deadline Hollywood.Archivedfrom the original on December 7, 2015.RetrievedDecember 9,2015.
  31. ^"In the Heart of the Sea (2015)".Rotten Tomatoes.Archivedfrom the original on October 28, 2016.RetrievedNovember 1,2020.
  32. ^"In the Heart of the Sea Reviews".Metacritic.Archivedfrom the original on October 14, 2020.RetrievedMay 5,2020.
  33. ^"Katniss & Ron Howard's Whale In A Staring Contest For No. 1".Deadline Hollywood.December 14, 2015.Archivedfrom the original on May 20, 2022.RetrievedDecember 12,2015.
  34. ^Vishnevetsky, Ignatiy (December 10, 2015)."In The Heart Of The Sea is ravishing and very corny".The A.V. Club.Archivedfrom the original on March 25, 2019.RetrievedMarch 25,2019.
  35. ^Lenker, Margaret (January 12, 2016)."'Star Wars,' 'Game of Thrones,' 'The Peanuts Movie' Lead Visual Effects Society Nominations ".Archivedfrom the original on August 15, 2018.RetrievedDecember 10,2017.
  36. ^Vulpo, Mike (May 24, 2016)."Teen Choice Awards 2016 Nominations Announced: See the" First Wave "of Potential Winners".E!.Archivedfrom the original on May 26, 2016.RetrievedMay 25,2016.
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